Paint ball can lead to hard truths
by special agent Ali
Summary: Clint had arranged for the paintball fight. It was going well for a while with the boys running around in the gym. Then Peter shot Tony with a red paintball in the chest. Then the fun stopped. It's mostly K but rated T cuz of some bad words. This has to do with my Seventh avenger tale so Peter is sixteen here. Very very small spank scene in chapter 2 but not really premise of story
1. Chapter 1

"Tony!" He screamed out as he watched the man fall. It was only paint but it was bright red and it hit Tony straight in the chest. Peter watched him fall and he ran over to him.

"I'm so sorry Tony, please don't die!" he yelled out.

"It's only paint kid and I think Stark has gone through worse" Clint commented.

Peter wasn't listening though. "Please don't die Tony, I'm so sorry I shot you" he was saying. Tony gaped at him and his eyes widened when the kid started crying.

"I'm fine Pete" he said quickly. He sat up and Peter threw his arms around him and sobbed.

"I'm so sorry Tony"

"Put all the guns away Clint" Steve whispered to Clint who nodded.

Tony didn't say a word but held Peter close. He had a feeling the kid was seeing something from his past. "It's all right Peter, I'm not going to ever leave you" he whispered.

Peter soon quieted and by then Clint had hidden all the paint guns. Peter pulled away from Tony and sat in his lap.

"Wanna talk about it kid?" he asked gently.

"I'm sorry….the paint…it looked like blood…it looked like…" Peter stammered and Tony nodded.

"Who was shot?" he asked gently.

"My Uncle" Peter replied softly. Steve, Clint and Bruce had seated themselves by their team mates and Peter glanced to them.

"I should have told you sooner. I didn't think a shot like that would affect me so much" he said looking to Steve mostly.

"It's okay Peter, it's good you're telling me now so we can keep an eye out for something like this in battle" he said.

Peter gave a small nod. "I didn't see the man shoot my Uncle. That's not why I freaked out. I found my Uncle a couple minutes later and there was a lot of blood all over his chest" he said.

"I'm okay Pete" Tony said and Peter nodded.

"Cap…I don't think I should battle with you all anymore…" he said and all four gasped.

"No! We need you out there Peter! You're an Avenger now kid and we won't abandon you for anything" Clint declares.

"But what if I cause another death?" Peter whispers. "I caused my Uncle's death Clint!" he then snaps.

"How? Peter you're not a murderer" Clint asks.

"Maybe I didn't pull the trigger but I helped the scumbag who did" Peter says and then sighs. "When I first got my power I thought it would be a great way to make money. I signed up for this cage match that would pay me big. I won the match and the jerk cut me quite a bit because I pinned the guy too early" Peter explained.

"I stormed off and the man was mugged about a minute later. He then came running to me as I'm standing at the elevator. The elevator opened then and I let him take it. My Uncle is the one who stood up to him and he was shot for that. I still blame myself for Uncle Ben's death" he finishes.

"You're not alone there kid. I can't tell you just how much guilt I feel every time the other guy is let loose"

"That's not really your fault Bruce" Peter told him.

"Neither is your Uncle's death. If I can't blame myself for what the other guy does then you can't blame yourself for your Uncle dying" Bruce replied.

"Yeah…but…"

"Same as I can't blame myself for what Loki forced me to do" Clint says and Peter nods.

"That's different though Clint. You were his puppet so really it was Loki who did the killing not you" he said. "No one forced me to let the bastard go, I did that all on my own because I was pissed off" he adds.

"It still haunts me though Peter. I could have killed everyone on the hellicarrier" Clint says.

"Yeah, but you didn't. You only damaged the engines and I managed to get the debris out and get it spinning again"

"Which almost killed you" Clint points out and gets a shrug. "Cap had my back" Tony responds.

"Guys…"

"Peter we can do this all day. All of us have bad memories and all of us live with guilt. We've learned to overcome it though by leaning on each other and that's what we'll do for you" Steve interrupts.

"Okay…thanks guys" Peter says giving in. He then stands up and noticed the paint guns are gone. "I guess the paint fight is over then" he says and the guys nod.

"I still got these though" Clint says and picks up two water guns. He gives one to Peter who smirks at the other three.

"I have a feeling we're going in unarmed Cap" Tony says and Peter nods before squirting him with the cold water. Tony runs off and out of the room but returns minutes later with even bigger water guns.

"Now we're in for it Hawkeye" Peter says and Clint laughs. "Not if we work together Spidey" he says and Peter nods. He lets Clint get on his back and starts swinging around so they got an aerial attack.

Peter can't help but smile now. It felt good to be an Avenger.


	2. Chapter 2

**_So I didn't wanna add this to summary because it's not what story is about this time. Yes, I am talking about spanking. But as I said it's not about spanking this time. However, I feel I need to give a warning here as there is a very mild spanking scene here. If you call two smacks a spanking anyway. I decided I wanted to add a second chapter to this story and label it complete.  
_**

It was almost a week now since Peter's meltdown/confession. Steve noticed though that the boy barely spoke to him since then. He still followed orders on the battlefield. Off the battlefield however it felt like the kid did everything he could to avoid Steve as much as he could.

Steve decided to wait a few days to give Peter time to calm down. When five days passed though and Peter was still tense around him Steve knew he needed to confront the boy.

"Jarvis, do you know where Peter is?" he asks after looking into the boys bedroom.

"He is up on the roof Mister Rogers" the AI answers immediately.

"Thanks" Steve replies. He goes to leave and stops at the door.

"I don't suppose you know why the kid has been acting so strange"

"Master Stark has asked me not to pry into anyone's business" Jarvis says.

"What if I give you permission?" Steve asks.

"I think that answer should be left to Mister Parker. He is still on the roof" Jarvis replies.

"Yeah, something tells me though I may not like what I am about to hear"

"That's why its easier to lie Captain. Its easier to make up a story because you can control a fictional world. It's hard to face the truth because its often not what you wanted to hear" Jarvis says.

Steve ends up giving the ceiling a smirk. "Is that why you just told me what's bugging Peter?" he asks.

"I don't know what you're talking about Captain" Jarvis replies.

"Sure, thanks Jarvis" he says and goes off for the roof.

"You all right kid?"

He had been standing on the roof lost in thought. Unfortunately it didn't turn off his powers and he sensed his teammate before the door even opened.

"I'm fine Captain" he answers without turning.

"I still don't understand how you, Clint and Nat do that" Steve replies. He had stopped a couple feet behind the teen.

"They were trained to be ninjas and I was bitten by a radioactive spider" he says casually.

"I guess that's a good way to put it" Steve replies. He steps forward so he is beside Peter and touches his shoulder. "Are you sure you're all right son?" he asks.

"Please don't call me that" Peter murmurs.

"Son?" Steve questions and gets a nod.

"I don't deserve the title" Peter replies. "I don't even think I deserve to be here anymore. I am nothing but a weak, stupid kid" he mutters.

His teammate's teasing smile faded quickly at that. His eyes narrowed and before Peter knew it he felt a very harsh sting on his bottom. His teammate had grabbed Peter, turned him around and gave his bottom two very hard smacks. Peter had for once been taken completely by surprise he couldn't even try to escape.

"Don't ever let me hear you talk like that again!" he snaps when he turns the boy back around. Peter quickly gives him a nod with a slightly terrified expression and Steve sighs.

"I'm sorry kid" he whispers as he gives him a hug. "I just know you're very smart and very tough. I hate seeing you put yourself down" he adds.

Peter hugs Steve's neck and lets a few tears fall. His bottom smarted a little but Peter had learned to take a few punches being Spider-man. But Steve Rogers wasn't his enemy. He hit him as a form of discipline a father would give. That was what made the teen so emotional. He realized how fond he had become of the Avengers and he was terrified he'd lose them.

"I'm sorry too...papa" Peter whispered. He had stalled a second but then the word slipped out.

Steve pulled him back and gave him a wry look. "I thought you said you didn't want to be called son?" he asked.

"That was until you spanked me sir" Peter replies. He then sighs. "I am sorry Steve" he says. "I shouldn't have kept that secret from you and the others" he adds.

"Jarvis was right" Steve thinks to himself. "Is that why you've been acting very strange the last few days?" he asks aloud and gets a nod.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I was on edge. You guys just become like a family to me and..." Peter says but trails off. When he looks away from Steve its then Captain America understands.

He gently lifts Peter's chin so he has to look into his eyes again. "Peter Benjamin Parker, we are your family now and trust me when I say no one will disown you for holding onto a secret" he says.

Peter's eyes light up a little and Steve hopes it means his friend will go back to normal. "I mean it kid" he says firmly.

"So then you're not angry with me?" Peter asks.

"We all have triggers kid but I think its why this team works. Since we all moved in we've been able to let down our guard a little bit. You've been here almost two months now kid, I think its time for you to do the same"

Peter gives a small nod. "Okay, I really am sorry Steve"

Steve just pulls him close for another hug and rubs his back. "You're forgiven kid, just please talk to me or the others if you're having any problems, I promise you no one will judge you" he says.

"Yes sir" Peter replies as he returns the hug. When they part again Steve is relieved to see a smile on the boys face. Too bad it was a mischievous smile.

"Would you do me a favor Steve?" Peter asks and receives a nod. Peter just points to a lounge chair that was on the roof. Steve complied and sat down and then laid back when asked by the teenager.

"Good, now you can remain there for a little while. I had to get you back for the spanking" he says mischievously as he covers Steve in his web shooting and runs away laughing.

"Oh you're in it for it now Peter!" Steve cries as he struggles against the bonds. It was like being caked in cement. Steve was only a little annoyed though, it was nice seeing Peter smile again.


End file.
